Hook for lamp doors



'6. E. GOY'DLEY uoox FOR mun? noons Jan. 18;

Patented Jan. 18, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES E. GODLEY, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO C. M. HALL LAMP COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

HOOK FOR LAMP DOORS.

Application filed April 25, 1925. Serial No. 25,738.

My invention relates to a fastening arrangement for use on a vehicle lamp having a so called hook on door, namely a lamp in which the door is connected to the lamp body by a separable hinge which permits the detaching of the door after thelatter has been swung out of its normal position about its said hinge connection to the lampbody.

For this purpose, my invention provides a 1d separable and resilient door hinge arranged for continuously pressing the door rearwardly or inwardly of the lamp body when the door is attached, and designed for cooperating with resilient connections between other portions of the door and lamp body for yieldingly holding the door in tightly sealing relation to the reflector of the lamp and with all parts held against rattling.

In my copending application #l8,396 as filed March 26, 1925, on a lamp door look, I have disclosed door fastening means suitable for affording such a yielding connection between the lamp body and the door. These locking means include threaded members which can be partially retracted for releasing the fastening, and were there shown as employed in connection with a door of the slip-on type, adapted to be detached by sliding the door forwardly during and after the loosening of the threaded members. \Vhen lamps thus constructed are employed in connection with lenses which are prismatic or otherwise formed for distributing light in certain directions, it is quite important that the door should always be attached to the lamp body in a predetermined position. This would not always be done by inexperienced users with such a slip-on type of door, thereby vitiatingthe effectiveness of the lens construction. For that reason, many automobile manufacturers prefer head lamps having doors of the hook-on type, as these always require the hinging connection to be made with the door in a predetermined position.

My present invention provides a resilient and separable door hinge construction for this purpose which will also afford the advantages secured by the resilient door latching means disclosed in my said copending application. It also provides a construction for this purpose which will be exceedingly simple and easily manufactured, which will permit the spring member to be replaced when desired, which will be easy of manipulation even by inexperienced lamp users, and which will have the entire hinging arrangement concealed when the door is attached. Still further and also more detailed objects will appear from the following specification and from theaccompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a front view of an automobile head lamp equipped with the hinging door lock of my present invention and with companion locks of the type of my said copending application.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged and fragmentary section .taken longitudinally of the lamp along the line 22 of Fig. 1, showing the two types of locking means as they appear when the door is in. its normal attached position.

Fig. 3 is a section similar to the upper portion of Fig. 2, showing my resilient hinging means as they appear When the door is swung out of its normal position while being attached to, or detached from, the lamp body.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the forward portion of the lamp body adjacent to the resiliently mounted hooking member.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged central and longitudinal section through this hooking member.

Fig. 6 is v a transverse section taken through Fig. 5 along the line 66.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary rear view of the portion of the door adjacent to my hinging arrangement, showing the apertures which permit access for removing the hooking member when the spring is to be replaced.

In the embodiment of the drawings, I am showing a lamp in which a lens 1 is mounted in a two-part lens ring and held against the inner edge of the outer member of the lens ring by the usual retaining formations 3. The lens ring has a peripheral portion 4 extending rearwardly alongside the forward lateral portion 5 of the lamp body, this portion 4 being recurved at its rear end so as to engage the body part 5 only at its extreme end 22, thereby permitting the lens ring to be rocked about a portion of this end 22 as a fulcrum. The recurving of the part 4 also affords a hook formation receiving the rear end of a cylindrical part 6 which forms a portion of the inner member of the shown as constructed after the manner of my said application No. 18,396, each having a screw'lO extending slidably through the said flange 9 and threaded into a nut 11 secured to a radial flange 12 on the mouth of the lampbody, and also having a compres- S1011 spring 13 interposed between the flange 9 of the lens ring and the head ofthe screw so as to press the lens ring rearwardly or inwardly of the lamp body, thereby pressing the lens 1 against a packing ring 35 which is mounted in a groove at the forward end of the reflector 14: of the lamp. The screw has a stop collar 21 secured to it by a removable pin 24, which collar engages the rear face of the flange 9 of the door when the screw is partly retracted, thereby causing the complete unscrewing of the screw from the nut 11 to push the door off the lamp body. The stop collar 21 also limits the threading of the screw through the nut so as to prevent an undue compressing of the spring 13, thereby causing the door to be yieldingly supported and permitting the spring to compensate for variations in the compressing of a packing ring interposed between the reflector 14 and the lens 1.

For the hinging or hook-on companion to these two fastening means, each of which can be unfastened by rotating the corresponding screw 10, I provide a hook member at another portion of the lamp front and desirably at the top of the latter. This hook member includes a stem 15 extending through a perforation in the flange 9 and through a radial slot 16 in the radial flange 12 of the lamp body. Secured to the rear end of the stem 15 is a head 17which has a forward face normally engaging the back of the flange 12 at opposite sides of the slot 16, and which head has its upper end projecting through a slot 18 in the peripheral flange 5 of the lamp body, the slot 18 being of greater width longitudinally of the lamp than the thickness of the head 17. The forward end of the stem 15 carries a radial enlargement adapted to be engaged by a compression spring 19 interposed between the said enlargement and the flange 9 of the inner member of the lens ring. This enlargement desirably consists of a split ring 20 having a bore corresponding to the diameter of a contracted part of the stem 15 and having a narrower gap which enables the ring to be slipped. over a still more contracted stem portion and then pressed rearwardly by the spring into its normal position of Fig. 3.

The head 17 desirably projects upwardly or radially outward of the lamp beyond the body flange 5 into engagement'with the portion 6 of the inner member of the lens ring, and this head 17 desirably is of a length approaching the length of the slot 18, so that thefends of this slot will guide the head during the'attaching or detachingof the door. Moreover, the end of the head 1? cirected towards the axis of the lamp,"is desirably beveled rearwardljas shown in the drawings, so as to facilitate its insertion thron the slot 18.

When the lamp door is attached as'shown in Fig. 2, the spring 19 acts continuously through the ring 20 (or enlarged portion of he hook member) to urge this member forwardly, thereby drawing the head 17 forwardly against the bee y'flange 12 and press ing the lens ring flange 9 rearwardly. .lly doing so, this spring 19 cooperates "ith the springs 13 of the companion fastening membars for pressing the door rearwardly and causing the packing ring toa-fi'ord a tight seal between the lens and the mouth of the reflector.

W hen the door is to be de ached, a rotation of each screw 10 (in the direction which moves this screw forwardly), unscrews the screw from the nut 11 and causes the rigid collar 21 on the shank of the screw to push the flange 9 of the lens ring forwardly, so that the releasing of these two screws tilts the lamp front about the engagement of the tip portion 2110f the lens ring with the top of the lamp body as a fulcrum. In doin so, it also somewhat increases the distance between the flange 9 of the lens ring and the portion of the body flange 12 wl1ich is provided with the slot 16, this being permitted through a compressing of the spring 19. So also, it tilts the hook member, this tilting being permitted by my making the slot 18 of greater width (longitudinally of ti e lamp) than the thickness of the head 17 of the hook member. Hence the lamp front can readily be swung outwardly, as shown to an exaggerated extent in Fig. 3, until the bottom of the lens ring clears the lamp body. Then the lens ring be raised by a slight upward movement, so as to slide the head 17 of the hook member entirely out of the slot 18, thus detaching the door from the lamp body. As soon as the door is detached, the spring 19 expands again and slides the hook member forwardly in the lens ring, the extent of such sliding being desirably limited by a spring cotter 23 extending through the stem behind the flange 9.

In attaching the door, the upper portion of the lens ring is slipped over the upper po 'tion of the cylindrical part 5 of the lamp body so as to have the tip of the head 17 of the hook memberenter the slot 18 and so as to have the ends of the slot 18 guide the stem of the hook member into the slot 16, after which the lens ring is pushed slightly downward and then swung inward of the lamp body. During this swinging, the peripheral portion 4 of the lens ring guides the lens ring and cooperates with the guiding of the head of the hook member .1 by the slots 18 to bring the screws 10 into,

proper alinement with the corresponding nuts 11, thereby insuring a speedy alining of all parts even in the hands of an inexperienced user.

If the spring 13 corrodes and hence needs to be replaced, the pin 24 which secures the stop collar 21 to the screw 10 can be pulled out of the screw when the door is detached, thereby permitting the screw and the spring to be pushed forwardly of the door. In the case of the spring 19 as associated with the hook member of my lamp, the shank 15 of this member cannot similarly be withdrawn through the front of the door member. To

-- permit this to be replaced, I provide apertures 34 in the flange 9 of the lens ring after the manner shown in Fig. 7. By inserting toolsthrough these openings, the spring 19 can be drawn away from the split ring 20 so as to retract the ring and permit it to slip off the stem 15 of the hook member, thereby permitting this stem to be slid rearwardly off the lens ring to release the spring also. A new spring can then be substituted and the slip ring replaced.

It will be obvious from the above that my resilient hinging arrangement is exceedingly simple in construction, that all parts of it are normally concealed so as not to mar the appearance of the lamp, that no experience is required for insuring a proper manipulation of the lens ring in attaching or detaching the same. and that it provides effective means for holding the lamp door yieldingly in a tightly sealing and non-rattling relation to the lamp body and the reflector.

Moreover, the engagement of the head of the hook member with the cylindrical portion 6 of the lens ring keeps this head turned in its proper direction even when the door is detached, and no parts of any kind are separately detached during the removal of the door. So also, the single spring serves the double purpose of yieldingly pressing'the adjacent part of the attached door rearwardly and of permitting the hook member to slide during the attaching or detaching of the door.

However, while I have illustrated and described my invention as used in connection with other resilient fastening means of a certain type, I do not Wish to be limited in this respect, since the operation of the here presented door hook or hinge is not dependent on the companion fastening means employed with the same. Neither 'do I wish to be limited to the shape, construction or arrangement of the various parts as here disclosed, since many changes might obviously be made without departing either from the spirit of my invention or from the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a lamp, a forwardly open body, a door for the same, a hook member carried by the door and including a stem slidably movable longitudinally of the body and a head at the rear end of the stem, the body having a rigid portion provided with a slot disposed radially of the body and adapted to havethe stem extend through it, the slot being narrower than the head; the said body portion being formed and disposed to have the stem of the hook member slid into the slot by a movement of the stem radially inward of the body so as to dispose the head behind the slotted part of the body portion; and spring means associated with the hook member and the door for continuously urging the door toward the head of the hook member.

2. In a lamp, a forwardly open body provided at its mouth with a radial flange, the flange having a slot extending radially of the said body and open at its outer end; a door having a radial flange; a hook member extending slidably through the shelfon the door and through the slot and having a portion normally engaging the rear of the first named flange; and a compression spring interposed between the flange on the door and a more forward portion of the stem for urging the stem forwardly.

3. A lamp as per claim 2, in which the flange-engaging portion of the hook member presents a beveled end radially inward of the lamp; ZIllCl'ill which the door has a portion engaging the hook member to keep the said beveled endthus directed.

4. In a lamp, a forwardly open body. a door for the same; and a hook member including a stem slidably mounted on a portion of the door for movement substantially parallel to the axis of the body, and also including-a head fast on the rear end of the stem and an enlargement detachably secured to the stem forwardly of the said door portion a compression spring interposed between the said door portion and the said enlargement for urging the hook member forwardly with respect to'the door; the body having a part in front of and normally engaging the said head to limit the forward movement of the hook member by the spring means, the said part being formed to permit the head to be inserted behind it upon movement of the door in one direction radially of the body.

5. A lamp construction as per claim 4, in which the stem has a contracted portion nor- Ill) .mally behind the said enlargement, the enlargement being slidably attachable to the stem and normally retained in its operative position by the pressure of the spring.

6. A lamp construction as per claim f, in which the stem has a two-diametered contracted portion disposed forwardly of the said doorportion; and in which the enlargement comprises a split ring having a bore corresponding substantially to the larger diametered part of the said contracted stem portion, the gap between the ends of the split ring being greater than the diameter of the smaller diameter-ed part of the said contracted stem portion.

7. In a lamp, a forwardly open body; a door slidably fitting and adapted to rock on the mouth end of the body and including a 1 lens ring having spaced front and rear mem the body having a portion adapted to be engaged by the front of the head and being formed to permit the inserting of the head behind the said portion upon movement of the door in one direction radially of the body.

8. In a lamp, a forwardly open body, a door for the same including a lens ring having spaced front and rear portions, a stem extending slidably through the rear portion of the lens ring, a hook end on the rear end of the stem, a hook-engaging elementcarried by the lamp body, a spring continuously tending to slide the stem forward with respect to the lens ring, and means carried by the stem and disposed for engaging a rear face portion of the lens ring to limit the forward sliding of the stem.

9. In a lamp, a forwardly open body ineluding a radial flange at its forward end, a door for the body, a hook member slidably mounted on the door for movement parallel to the axis of the body and including a stem and a head at the rear end of the stem, the body having a peripheral aperture adjacent to the flange through which the head may be inserted behind the flange during the attaching of the door and the flange having a slot extending radially of the body for receiving the stem of the hook member, and resilient means interposed'between the hook member and a rigid portion of the door for urging the hook member forwardly, the door being adapted to rock on a portion of the body adjacent to the head of the hook member during the attaching and detaching of the door.

10. In a lamp, a forwardly open body including a radial flange at its forward end, a door-for the body, a hook member slidably mounted on the door for movement parallel to the axis of the body and including a stem and a head at the rear end of the stem, the body having a peripheral aperture adjacent to the flange through which the head may be inserted behind the flange during the attaching of the door and the flange having a slot extending radially of the body for receiving the stem of the hook member, a:

screw extending transversely of the face of the door and connecting the door with the body at a point diametrically opposite the said head, and springs interposed between a rigid door portion and the hook member and the screw respectively for continuously urging the hook member forwardly and the door rea rwardly.

11. In a lamp, a forwardly open body having a radial flange at its mouth end, the body being provided with a continuous T-shaped aperture having its head portion disposed in the peripheral body wall adjacent to the said flange and having the shank of the T-shaped aperture extending radially inward of the body in the said flange; a door sleeved upon the mouth end of the body and adapted to rock upon a portion of the said peripheral body wall back of the said aperture during the attaching and detaching of the door from the body; a hook member mounted on the door for slidable movement longitudinally of the body, and a spring interposed between the door and the hook member for urging the hook member forwardly; the hook member including a stem insertible in the shank of the said slot when the door is moved radially of the body in one direction, and including a head insertible in the head of the said slot and guided by the ends of the slot head during such movement of the door to a position in which the head engages the rear face of the said flange.

Signed at Detroit, Michigan, April 17th,

CHARLES E. GODLEY. 

